Jessie stood with the timber wolf, who didn’t look too happy being away from Carter. We didn’t know what would happen with it. If it would shift back or stay as it was. He didn’t fit like the others. He’d barely let us remove the silver chain that had been embedded around his neck, and that was only because Carter had been there. Ox couldn’t feel him. Not like the others. We didn’t know why.
The Alphas stood on either side of Patrice, facing their pack. They placed their hands on his shoulders. The Omegas gathered behind them, yipping and growling as if agitated. They knew. Somehow, they knew something was coming.
In the distance, I felt the first pulse of magic. Witches stood, arms raised, palms flat toward us. Their eyes were closed, and all of them muttered under their breaths. Aileen was closest, and I could hear her quiet murmur. It was almost soothing.
“Dis won’t be easy,” Patrice said quietly. “Healing what’s sick. It’s not a flesh wound or a fever. Dis is bone-deep. In da head and heart. You’ll need to be strong, Bennett pack. For dose you love. For dose you don’t even know. Gordo and Kelly, dey gonna need you. It’s easy, I tink, to get lost. Help dem find your packmates and bring dem home.”
“We got this,” Chris said.
“Damn right we do,” Tanner said.
Rico snorted. “I can’t believe this is how we spend our Sunday nights. If we’re not watching shit blow up, we’re in the middle of the woods with strangers chanting around us and feral werewolves getting ready to gnaw on our nuts.”
“Oh, please,” Jessie said. “Like you’d want to be anywhere else.”
“And if you said that you did,” Elizabeth told him, “we wouldn’t believe you.”
“I could be getting laid right now, I’ll have you know.”
“Bambi said you haven’t groveled enough yet,” Kelly reminded him.
“Oooh,” Chris and Tanner said.
“Jesus Christ,” Joe muttered.
“Are you all finished?” Ox growled. “We’re kind of doing something important here.”
“Yes,” Patrice said, smile widening. “I tink you’ll do just fine. Prepare yourselves, Bennett pack. Dis will come quickly.”
He reached out and put one hand on my knee and the other on Kelly’s. Kelly didn’t let me go. It made me feel better. I looked down at Mark. His eyes were violet as he gazed up at me. “I need you to fight as hard as you can,” I whispered. “Because I’m coming for you.”
There were bursts of light around the clearing, and Patrice’s hand felt like it was burning. The roses grew and the raven screamed and I—
I STOOD in front of my house.
The sun was rising.
The street was quiet.
Somewhere, a dog was barking.
It was the same, but…
The shutters hadn’t been painted.
Those bushes I’d torn out were still there.
I—
No. No. No.
I knew this.
I knew when this was.
A car pulled up to the curb.
Mark sat inside. He was young. Younger than he’d been in a long time.